


Not What We Set Out to Be

by scatter



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Denial, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-21
Updated: 2011-04-21
Packaged: 2017-10-18 11:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/188318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatter/pseuds/scatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fact that Yosuke and Chie are cheating on each other is an open secret to everyone involved, even if Yosuke doesn't want to call it that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not What We Set Out to Be

Yosuke has a girlfriend; he's been dating Chie for almost two months now and they've fallen into a routine neither of them has ever suggested changing. This Thursday, like always, they plan to go out. They'll hold hands and sit close and probably kiss in the dark of the theater where they're going to catch a movie. It's polite to let the girl choose what they see so he lets her pick an action flick that he's reasonably happy with.

It makes sense to have a girlfriend and do all of these things with her because Yosuke isn't gay.

That's the plan for Thursday. Today is Wednesday and he's spending it at Souji's house, bumming out on his couch and watching movies on what must have been one of the first television sets bought in Inaba.

"You need a bigger TV," he says, even though it doesn't really bother him. Some high definition would be nice, though.

"Maybe." Souji shifts closer and Yosuke tightens the arm around his shoulder. "If you don't have plans for tomorrow, how about—"

"Spending it with Chie," Yosuke interrupts. "You know that. Tomorrow's date day."

Souji looks at him sideways. "Doesn't it bother you, planning it out like that? After a while, dates should be spontaneous, something that naturally happen."

"No they shouldn't, that's why they're called dates." Anyway, it's easier knowing exactly what day and time he's supposed to meet up with her. No worries about conflicting schedules or things like that.

Souji hums and takes hold of his other hand, pulls it onto his lap. "Hey," he says, and when Yosuke turns his head, Souji kisses him.

Yosuke's not surprised. Souji's gay. Easily and unapologetically, with no maybes or mentions of experimenting, and by his own admission attracted to Yosuke. Because Yosuke's a good friend, he's okay with this.

Souji threads their fingers together, and Yosuke tilts his head to get a better angle, eases Souji's mouth open to slide his tongue in.

Because he's a great friend, he goes along with it.

Having a girlfriend doesn't mean he can't do this. It's not cheating. If he were gay then, sure, it'd be wrong and he'd have to feel bad about it, but he's not so it doesn't count. He's explained that to Souji so there wouldn't be any confusion. They're on the same wavelength.

He's pretty sure of that, anyway. Souji didn't say much after he explained everything, but he smiled in that hard to read way he has and leaned in for a kiss, and Yosuke figures if that's not an agreement than nothing is.

Kissing Souji is better than kissing Chie, and that's not a slight against her. She's good at it too, but they haven't managed to get completely comfortable about doing it with each other. Once they do, he's sure it'll come as naturally as it's coming with Souji.

When they break away, Souji stands up and pulls him along. "Let's go to Junes. I want to check out TVs."

"Now?"

"Sure, why not?"

The movie isn't anything they haven't already seen, and they end up browsing the electronics department for a while. Eventually, Souji realizes it might be a waste to buy one when he can't take it with him a few months from now. They split a meal and eat it on the roof where no one can see how their knees touch.

On Thursday, Yosuke meets Chie in front of the theater in Okina City. Also immediately, they get into an argument about who's going to pay.

"I always pay," he says, which isn't true but feels like it.

"Do you have to be so cheap? You're the one with a steady job. God, nevermind." She gets out her wallet and the guy at the ticket counter gives Yosuke a flat look. Before she can fish out the cash, Yosuke slaps down enough to cover both of them.

"I can cover myself."

"I'm the guy, I'm supposed to pay." Is he seriously trying to impress some random theater employee? He takes his change and hands her a ticket. "You can buy the snacks."

That's the more expensive of the two, anyway.

It goes fine at first. It's a good movie and they're having a good time until the couple in front of them starts making out, really going at it. Who goes to an action flick to make out? Yosuke turns to Chie so they can laugh at them together, but Chie's got a weird look on her face watching them and when she turns to him Yosuke doesn't feel like laughing anymore.

She turns her hand over, sort of holding it out, and he stares before realizing he's supposed to hold it. He does, and her hand is cold from her soda, his slightly sticky from his snack, and the couple keeps going. Maybe he should report them to a worker, get them kicked out for ruining things. Or does she expect him to kiss her? That seems more likely so he does, even though he really wants to watch the movie.

Chie's got hair like Souji. Not exactly the same – Souji once said it made her face look perfectly round and she told him his made him look ten years too old – but close enough that it's not jarring when he puts a hand in it. They go at it for a while and catch each other peeking at the screen in the same moment, which makes them both laugh. Some of the tension drops away. Chie puts her hand on his chest, drops it to his waist, his thighs, and he works her neck, bites on a spot below her jaw.

"Ow!" She pulls away and brings one hand up to her neck. "What was that?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"You bit me, why would I like that?" The look she gives him makes him squirm. "Is that what you do with—? I mean—"

"I just thought you might like it, sorry." The mood's gone that quickly. He sits back in his own seat and thinks about throwing his drink at the couple, thinks about pointing out there was no reason for her to be touching his leg like that.

"Well, I don't. Someone else might." They're still holding hands. He doesn't let go because she doesn't, even though at this point it's more of a loose, inconvenient grip than anything.

They were fine before this, and after five minutes tense enough to snap, Yosuke realizes he doesn't want to spend the next forty in silence, not when he could be enjoying this with her. He needs to put things back on track. "You smell good."

"Excuse me? Were you sniffing me or something?"

"You idiot, how could I not when we were so close?" She still looks offended. "It was a compliment."

"Oh. Thanks. Yukiko—" She lets go of his hand, gestures. "I was with Yukiko—I _walked_ with here with her some of the way, and she… You know how she wears so much perfume, some of it must have rubbed off on me. Drifted over, I mean. You get it."

"Yeah," he says, and almost adds, _That was awful_. Instead he says, "Yukiko's got good taste," and means it in every way possible.

Maybe she picks on it. She smiles sheepishly. "You've gotten better at kissing. Did you learn that tongue thing somewhere?"

"Tongue thing?"

"It was really good."

"Thanks." He tries to figure out what she's talking about, but he simply did the same thing he does with Souji.

After another stretch of silence, Chie asks, "You wanna keep…?"

"Nah, the movie's good."

"Yeah," she says, too enthusiastically, "it's great."

They spend their time together discussing it and tossing popcorn at the couple's heads. Chie doesn't offer her hand again and Yosuke doesn't reach for it. When they leave, he offers to walk her home.

"Sorry, I've got plans."

Yosuke shrugs. She's never taken him up on it, and it's just a habit to ask at this point. "Alright, see you later."

Souji looks him up and down when he shows up at the door, but doesn't say anything until they're in his room with the door locked behind them. "How'd it go?"

"Fine." There's a pile of paper and envelopes on the work desk. "The movie was good. You busy?"

"No." Souji comes up behind him and wraps his arms around his chest. "Have fun?"

"Sure."

"You smell a bit like Yukiko." Souji starts undoing his buttons, chin on his shoulder. "How long are you and Chie going to keep this up?"

Yosuke fidgets, puts his hands on Souji's wrists. "Keep what up? We're dating, and we'll keep doing it until, I don’t know, we stop wanting to, I guess. Things are fine," he adds. After all, why shouldn't they? He and Chie like each other most of the time and when you like someone dating seems like the next obvious step.

Souji kisses his neck. "Want me to stop?"

"No, it's good, keep going. I'm just tense." Yosuke turns his head to catch his mouth. He's always tense after dates. That's why he comes to Souji to unwind.

"I talked to Yukiko today," Souji says once they've parted to breathe.

He talks to Yukiko a lot. "Are you two dating?"

He doesn't mean to ask but it's a thought that's passed through his head more than once.

Souji undoes another button and Yosuke watches his fingers move. "No." There's a beat before he asks, "Why? Would it bother you?"

It's tempting to say yes because it does, a lot, a hell of a lot more than it probably should all things considered. "Should it?"

"I talked to Yukiko," Souji says without answering, taking a moment to slid a hand under his jacket and across his chest. "Want to know what she told me?"

"Probably not. What's it about?"

"You know she's allowed to reserve the hot springs when it's slow up there? Thursday evenings are usually quiet so she gets it to herself. She doesn't spend the time alone, though."

"Oh." Chie was the one who suggested Thursday as date day. He really doesn't want to hear this.

"You know who she's with, don’t you?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

Souji helps him take his jacket off and tosses it into the couch. "Okay. Later then."

They end up in Souji's futon, shirts off and pants undone, and getting each other off is the best thing Yosuke's done all day, familiar and satisfying. When Yosuke bites on his neck, Souji digs his fingers into his back and gasps, "Again." Yosuke has to stop himself from leaving a mark, right there on the part where Souji's popped collars won't cover.

When they're laid out next to each other and relaxed, Souji says, "I'm leaving in a few months."

"Yeah, I know." Yosuke's got the day marked down on his calendar, circled thickly in black marker. "Think you can convince your parents to let you stay another year?"

"I haven't been able to get in touch with them." Souji looks at him seriously. "You should call Chie."

"What, now?" Post-orgasm, he doesn't want to call anyone or do anything, especially not Chie while he's still covered by Souji's arm and blanket. Seems more like cheating that way.

"Yes. While I'm here."

Yosuke drums his fingers on Souji's arm and thinks about putting it off, but he finds his phone under Souji's shirt and makes the call. Yukiko picks up on the third ring, and he isn't shocked to hear her voice.

"Yosuke-kun, what a surprise." She sounds slightly put off, like she was in the middle of something. He thinks he hears water and remembers the hot springs.

"I need to talk to Chie."

"Now?" Before he can answer, she asks, "Is Souji-kun there? Can I speak to him?"

"My girlfriend please, Yukiko," he says, and hears the phone change hands. Yukiko says Souji's name again in the middle of some sentence, and then Chie comes on the line, a little breathless.

"What's up, Yosuke?"

"Hey."

"…Hey back at you? Is that it? Come on, even you don't call for just that."

"No, that's not it." Souji's got his eyes closed like he might be drifting off to sleep, but Yosuke's sure he's listening to every word. Yosuke thinks of how many more days he's going to be able to see him like this, has the number in the back of his head. "We've got to talk, Chie."

"Oh." She sounds about as eager as he feels. "Now?"

"If I say no, will you want to talk about this tomorrow?"

"Not really." He hears a splash. She really is in the hot springs, and who the hell brings their phone there? If it falls in and gets messed up, he's going to laugh about it. "It's about Souji-kun, isn't it? Are you at his house?"

"I was going to say Yukiko but he's part of it too, and yeah we're…together. At his house. You and Yukiko—"

"We're together too. Hanging out and, well, I'm sure you know the rest."

"I can figure it out." Conversations like this are always weird. He cuts to the chase. "You want to say it or should I?"

"I'll do it. Yosuke, I want to break up." Souji's eyes open at that. He's a natural eavesdropper and Chie isn't making any effort to be quiet, speaking in a rush. "It's not you, you're great, but I'm just… Okay, it's kind of you, actually, not that you're still not great but you do this thing when—"

"You don't have to explain it." Hearing his flaws or whatever listed out doesn't sound appealing. "I had a good time this afternoon."

"Me too. It was nice, for the beginning and end. The middle sucked, though, and the part where you didn't want to pay."

"Yeah. Guess that's it then? I've been dumped?"

"Guess so." She doesn't say anything for a while. He wonders if Yukiko's getting impatient. Souji's quiet and still next to him, looking down. "So, you and Souji-kun, huh?"

He makes a noise of agreement. This isn't going to turn into a talk about his sexuality, is it?

"You're pretty dense sometimes, but you guys are using protection, right?"

"Oh god, Chie."

"Sorry." She laughs once and then again, quieter. "Sorry about… You know, all of…this and, um, everything. Tell Souji-kun I'm sorry too?"

"Me too, I'll do that. You were a pretty good girlfriend, Chie. Sort of."

"You ass."

He figures this is as good a spot as any to end the conversation. "I gotta go but be careful. Don't, I don't know, break a nail off in there or something. Or don't let Yukiko since yours are so damn short."

"Yosuke, you creep, that's so gross—"

He hangs up on her and knows he'll get his inbox spammed in revenge once she's not busy. "Dude, I think Yukiko's mad at you."

Souji sits up just enough to look at the clock. "Maybe I got the time wrong and they weren't out yet."

"You two didn’t try and set this up, did you?"

"No. We just talk sometimes when you two are out. Things naturally come up." He slips back beneath the cover. Yosuke pulls it high on both of them. "Are you okay?"

Yosuke shrugs. "It sucks. I like Chie."

"Nothing says you can't be friends."

"She said sorry, by the way."

"I heard. I'll call her later and talk to her."

"Guess this means I really was cheating the whole time." Souji gives him a flat, _what did you think_ look, but Yosuke's never wanted to be that kind of guy, the one who cheats on people. Knowing he is sucks. "Probably means you and me are an item now too."

"The term is boyfriends," Souji says. "You have to be able to say it."

"Boyfriends," Yosuke repeats, and it doesn't taste bad in his mouth, just unfamiliar. "Okay, I can deal with that." No reason to fight against it too much now that he's been dumped.

"No cheating on me." Yosuke flinches but he deserves it. Souji gives him an even look. "The rest… The rest we can talk about tomorrow. I'm tired. What about you?"

"Yeah." He feels like he should say something else and wants to but can't figure out what. He wonders how much hell he and Chie have been putting Souji and Yukiko through, how Yukiko and Chie are handling this right now. When he's pretty sure Souji's half-asleep, he whispers, "Sorry about taking so long, partner."

Souji mumbles something he can't make out and cuddles closer to him, and Yosuke feels a little less like…well, a guy who got two-timed while cheating on his lesbian girlfriend with his gay best friend. He feels better about it at any rate, and he's not simply going along with things when he presses a kiss against Souji's temple. He probably hasn't been just going along with things for a while. Guess that makes what he and Souji did earlier pretty damn gay.

Next Thursday, the four of them go out and grab a meal together, and Yosuke wonders if he's the only one who thinks it's sort of strange but no one else really seems uncomfortable and that's good. Souji calls it a double-date and Yosuke knows he's right but that makes them sound like little kids so he doesn't use the phrase. Halfway through his sandwich, he watches Yukiko take Chie's hand right there on the table, not caring who sees, and catches the look Souji gives them.

So does Chie. "You're not hung up about holding his hand, are you?"

"It's not that."

Yukiko raises an eyebrow, but before he can explain it's not denial, Souji says, "I'm just being greedy. We're already playing footsie."

He's got his foot halfway up Yosuke's calf and it's all he can do to keep his leg still and his hands to himself.

"Huh." Chie glances down at the table like she can see their legs or is considering doing the same thing with Yukiko. "Okay then. Keep going."

"That sounds like a good idea," Souji says, and Yosuke holds his hand under the table.


End file.
